Legends Of Hyrule: The Nine Tails Of The Gerudo's King
by DarkJester420
Summary: <html><head></head>What happens when the Hero is too young...again? The Goddesses, not wanting to put all Hyrule through the pain it endured the last time it happened, they send an entirely different hero...a young man named Dan who remembers nothing of his past. His humble start, and more, await Dan and the people of Hyrule, both old and new, on the first installment of Legends of Hyrule! DarkJester</html>
1. The Three Goddesses

As all in Hyrule know, there are three (at least, there are stories of more) goddesses that created the world. Din, Nayru and Farore, and each goddess had made a part of the symbol each to create what would become the Triforce, Din made the Triforce of Power, Nayru, the Triforce of Wisdom, and Farore, the Triforce of Courage. When their job was done, they left the peoples of Hyrule to themselves, but continued to watch over them, as a mother would watch her child. As always, the goddesses were watching over us all when a voice broke the silence...

"Ohohohohohoho... My dears, I fear that the our unnaturally evil enemy is about to resurface in the world below..."

Din shook her head, and said, "He never could stay down for long, but to reappear now, When the Hero of Time's descendents..."

"Indeed, the daughter is strong, yet not enough, nor is the son ready yet to fight him. They can stall, although..." Farore interjected, then sighed.

"I do not wish for this to happen yet again, as it did when the last time when the Hero was not yet old enough to fight Ganondorf. Seven years of pain and suffering for all our children, never again..." Nayru calmly said, and yet she held herself and shivered.

"Hohohoho... Fear not, my dears, for a solution is at hand. It has been here since those two came together in this realm, as I asked." A small form floated towards the goddesses, glowing brightly. The voice spoke, joyfully booms of laughter following so soon after that the words seemed to be forgotten.

"...But why should we send this... boy to the world below? I see no reason to believe that this the solution, Deku Tree." Din said, her long hair swaying from the shaking of her head.

"You should recognize that this boy is a son of the Gerudos, so naturally, he should receive your blessings, Dear Din. After all, a popular saying I heard many times since you honoured me with god-hood is 'Fight fire with fire'..."

"...Interesting. Give him 'that' to fight for our children? A splendid and bold idea, Old One."

"It may be too risky, Farore. Doing this can put a weapon in the hands of the enemy, and I rather not do that if I can help it."

Nayru sighed, and spoke "l cannot see where this can lead, as his soul is troubled by many things, and this burden can cripple even the Hero of Time from back then, so doing so to this boy can..."

"Love how you can decide what can break me 'fore I even try, Nay-Nay. Especially when we haven't tried it yet."

This new voice came from a small red orb flying around the Deku Tree, and then it came forward, hovering over the bigger glowing form. It, or rather, he, then spoke again.

"Besides, if you truly thought it wouldn't work, then you would've known it 'forehand, and would have told Ever'one here, myself included. I want to do this, and would do it for a big ol' load of nothing."

Din flared up, and was about to speak when Nayru giggling stopped her, and then Farore joined in. Din sighed, calmed down, and said "This soul is so annoying, Deku Tree. Why is he here?"

Deku Tree laughed, and said, "Why, to help, of course! He is brave enough to take on such a quest, and even more so to talk to us as such, and is such the only one for the job. Besides, you only want him to stay because you'll miss him when he travels to the world below."

Din blushed slightly, sighing again, and said "I only worry for him, because he doesn't at all. And he's been through enough already, I don't want him hurt..."

"You gotta learn to share me with everyone, Dinny-girl. There is enough of me to go around for everyone, and then some." He seemed to take a breath, and said, "I want to do this, and no one is making me do this. I want to walk, run, dance, everything. I want to meet the princesses, wrestle them Gorons, swim with the Zoras, and fight that evil dude Ganondorf. Give me a chance at it, please?"

Farore giggles, hand over her mouth, and says, "If anyone misses you, it will be me, since talking with a soul such as you, it was more pleasure than I anticipated, and for that, I thank you."

"It was all my pleasure, Fairy. 'Fore I go, I got one request..."

_**Although it is a short chapter, it felt so long to me... I wonder who the spirit is, and what his role is in the story? Well, we'll found out together, alright? Also, The Deku Tree is OOT Deku Tree, and he deserves godhood, don't you think? ~DarkJester**_


	2. Chapter 1: Broken Barns and Nicknames

"Romani, time to get up!"

A small child stirred in her bed, not wanting to get up, so she decided to tell the voice in a way that wouldn't give she was awake.

"Mmmmmmmmmph..."

A red-headed young woman, no older than twenty, appeared in the doorway, and seeing the red headed little sister still laying there, walked over to said sister, and shook her gently, trying to wake her up. Seeing it not working, she then sighed.

"Well, if you're not going to get up, then I'll go back to sleep too." And with that,she plopped down on the little girl and pretended to snore, loud and clear. Giggles of joy and small yawns could be heard in between snores, and then Romani, the little one, started pushing against her big sister.

"Get up, Malon, or I be crushed to death! Please, I'll get up, I'll get up!" It was then the older sister, Malon, got up, picking Romani up as well, and spun in circles, both giggling. Marlon stopped, and placed Romani onto the ground, and swung her long, red hair out of her face, and turned towards the small dresser in the corner, choosing her little sister's clothes.

She had just gotten the drawers closed when she heard Romani gasp, then say "There's a hole in the roof of the barn, Malon!"

"Must have been broken when the storm was at it's worst, Romani, now get changed and we'll go see the inside of the barn and fix what we can." Romani then scurried over to get her clothes, and got changed as fast as possible.

Malon laughed, seeing the dress on backwards, then fixed it, picking her little sister up and carrying her downstairs, and when they saw their father, Talon, still snoring loud,and while covering their mouths (they were silently giggling), continued towards the barn. They had gotten to the door when Romani wanted down, and when she was put down, she pushed the doors open, to an unusual sight.

Planks of wood strewn about, all broken pieces, and yet, there were not burnt, so lightning wasn't the culprit. Romani ran to a pile of hay, and jumped into it, giggling all the way. Malon was about to continue to search when Romani shouted out "Malon! There's somebody here!" When she heard that, Malon grabbed a pitchfork, cautiously readying to defend herself and her sister, when...

Romani had just told her sister someone was in the hay, and it was a strange someone, too! His hair was bright red, and he was pale. Not too pale, though. And he seemed to be sleeping. Romani then noticed his clothes. Now they were strange! He wore what seemed a loose, long sleeved, white shirt, but the shoulders were cut open, revealing the skin beneath, and his pants seemed to be the same material as the shirt, except red, the same shade as his hair, and just as loose as his shirt. She looked at his face, and saw a different red, flowing...

Romani, yelled out, "He's hurt, Malon! We need to help him!" Romani pulled the stranger out as best as she could, wrenching his head and shoulders free from the hay before Malon grabbed him and pulled him out the rest of the way. Malon, seeing him, and the blood on his face, told Romani in a calm voice...

He could remember nothing, only felt the softness of what seemed to be a bed. His arm moved, and he felt the slight touch of the bedsheets rustle, and his hand moved over his head, to feel the bandages wrapped his head. He opened his eyes, to see, through his hair, a young child, laying on top of his leg, snoozing peacefully.

He got up in a sitting position, careful not to wake the child, and picked her up, and put her on the bed. Getting up, he placed her head the pillow, and covered her up. Feeling himself smile, he looked at this young child. Her red hair was a little more orange then his, and she had a slight tan where he was pale, but other than that, he felt a brotherly kindness towards this young child.

After rubbing her head gently, he moved towards the window, and so as to not disturb anyone, opened it slowly, but before it was halfway open, a young woman opened the door, tray full of food ready to eat. The young woman, looking like the older form of the young child, saw the window, then the young man, hands still on the window, and he heard her say "Well, aren't you going to stay for lunch? It's the least you can do, stranger!"

He froze, turning to see the woman, and stood still, fearing what might happen. "Well, aren't you going to sit down, mister? You can eat standing up, if you wanna, but I'm going to sit down." She placed the tray on a table in the center of the room, and sat on the floor. The table was short enough that she reach anything she wanted to get, so she didn't need chairs.

He walked over to the table, sat down, and reached for the food, when the child, the one he had just put in the bed, was in his lap! She was yawning, but she was there, looking proud that she got there. Without me noticing, he thought to himself. The child yawned again, causing him to smile, then yawn himself.

The young woman grinned, and said "If you guys start yawning together, you're going to make me wanna start to out of loneliness." She hugged herself, trying to make it seem she was slighted, but failing, as she was still grinning. The child giggled, and that drew out a snort of amusement from the young man.

"So you can make noise, stranger! The name's Malon, and Romani is my sister, and she seems to like her new chair" More giggles from Romani, and Malon joins in, and after a few minutes, Malon calmed down and asked "So, who are you? We need to know who knocked a hole in our barn, so he can start working it off."

He started to say something, then stopped, and thought about it. What was his name again? He knew it was short, but didn't know how short... Then it hit him.

"Dan. Call me Dan. I can't remember anything else, so don't ask me if I was the one who did it, or if I knew who did it..." Dan's hand touched the bandages on his head, and continued on, saying "Thanks to the bumps on my head, I can't remember crap."

Romani got up, walked around Dan, and when she right behind him, started rubbing his head, being clumsily gentle as her hands touched the bump over and over again. Dan winced, but it didn't really hurt, it was more preparing himself for any pain that might suddenly happen. But he was surprised when Romani hugged him from behind, her arms barely reaching his sides.

He heard her say "Hugs always make me feel better after I get hurt, big brother Dan." She then felt him shaking, and without thinking, stopped hugging him and ran to his front, and asked him "What's wrong, Dan? Did I make you mad?"

He was looking down, still shaking, and then looked up, showing that he was crying as hard as possible, tears falling fast as a waterfall. He grabbed Romani into a tight hug, saying "You are so thoughtful, cute, loving, cute, cute, and CUTE! I could just eat you up, and it would give me cavities from how sweet you are!" He started rubbing his face on the top of her head, ignoring her playful cries of help as he continued to hug her tight.

Malon smirked, and sighed, wondering how she could've thought was a dangerous person, when seeing him now, he was more like a kid. She punched his head playfully, and said "Come on, Dan. You need to start paying us back for breakfast and the damage to the barn you caused. Plus, you still haven't met Dad or Ingo yet. You need to introduce yourself to them otherwise..." It was at that time that Malon noticed Dan fidgeting. "What's up, Dan? Need the bathroom?"

"Malon, are you sure I need to meet you dad? I'm not sure we've known each other long enough for that..." Before he could finish, Malon punched his head again, not nearly as playful as before, and stormed out of the room, but not before Dan saw her face red as her hair.

Romani looked at Dan, and asked "Why did you ask her that? Why?"

"Just to tease her a little bit, Aroma."

"My name is Romani, not Aroma."

"I know, just a nickname I wanted to give ya. Don't like it?"

"...Are you teasing me, too?"

"Not really. Just trying it out on ya. You don't like it?"

"...I like it, Big Brother. Are you giving Malon a nickname, too?"

"If she'll let me give her one, I'll give her one." He said as he hugged Romani close, picking her up and walking towards the door, Romani giggling all the way.

She woke up, calm and collected, and yet, she felt a smile on her face. The goddesses had answered her prayers, she knew it. She had seen them speaking to the spirit, and feeling that the spirit, which she knew was a he, float into the body, and disappear, going to the place he was destined to be. She heard Naryu speak to her, and, although she couldn't recall the words, they had left her with feeling of great happiness.

"Did you have a good dream?"

She turned to look at two strangely dressed people, a man and a woman, ready and waiting for anything.

She chuckled, and said "If dreams could come true, then yes, I had a good dream, Impa. And the man behind you, he seems to be your student. I welcome you, dear friend." The young woman, arising from the bed, wore her blonde-brown hair freely, and her bed clothes were purple, and as she rose, her smile grew larger, as she said "I am Princess Zelda, Ruler of Hyrule, and I cannot wait to get to know you, nor can I wait for the great warrior who is destined to help keep all of our land united against evil. May we meet soon, Dan!"

_**Finally getting some characters introduced into the story. I couldn't say this before, but I plan on using most of the important characters and some of my own OCs for my story, and I don't plan on ending this story till much later on. Some Characters are not from OOT, but there is a reason for that. Don't ask, don't plan on telling anyway. Criticize if you want, but not gonna listen to any Simon Cowells, I don't want that kind of "Encouragement" at all. Thanks for reading this far! -DarkJester**_


	3. Chapter 2: So That's How It Is

Chapter 3: ...So That's How It Is...

As the days went by, Dan grew to love the little ranch Malon and Romani lived and worked in. The cows grazed peacefully, always willing to give milk for the songs Malon sung, and Dan was always asking for more afterwards. "More milk, or more songs?" would always ask.

"Whichever gets me more of these wonderful days," Dan always replied, leaving Romani giggling and Malon blushing. It also left Dan with a bump on his head where Malon would punch him, but he never mided, as Malon would sing the song again anyway. Her father, or Talon, as was his name, had blue overalls, a red shirt (his clothes seemed to barely hold in Talon), got along with Dan almost too good. Malon was the only one who noticed, though, and she blushed whenever she did notice.

Ingo, although, was an entirely different story. He was skinny, wore white overalls and a green shirt, and was very quiet towards everyone. He stayed to the barn mostly, caring for the horses, and the only times he wasn't working, he was staring into the sky, his mind often elsewhere, or was sleeping or eating, which he did elsewhere. Dan wanted to get along with Ingo, but Ingo would never respond, so Dan soon gave up.

Still, Dan loved the Lon Lon Ranch, and he knew he never would change his mind about it. He learned from Talon that his wife had died soon after Romani turned three, and since she was seven, it had been four years she had been held by her mother. Malon, who was thirteen herself at the time, decided then and there she would be the mother of the house. She held Romani close whenever Romani was scared, fed her when she was hungry, and changed her clothes when she needed help. Both Talon and Dan were in tears when the story was over, and had to be comforted by Malon and Romani before they stopped. Romani would then be held by Dan, and not be released at all until Malon had forced his grip off of her little sister.

"Big Bro, How old are you?" Romani had gotten tired of calling him Big Brother Dan, so she changed it.

"I would say a little over 18, 19 maybe. Remember, I have a broken memory recaller," when he said Memory Recaller, Romani giggled.

"Then you are as old as Malon!"

"Yes, I'm as old as Ma-Ma Lon..."

At that point, Malon would put Dan in a headlock, not letting go until Dan had apologized over and over again, and Romani had burst out laughing at the sight, making Talon chuckle. Ingo would just "hmph", and go on his way.

Yes, Dan wished these days would never end, and wished with all his heart.

His fate led him to many places, meeting new people, and all the more fun.

The dawn had come, as it had for the last month, when Dan awoke. He woke himself up, which was rare, as he had always been woke up by Romani jumping on his bed, or Malon's cooking. He looked around, and saw no one in his room (it was the attic of the Lon Lon Ranch House).

He got up, and slid on his white shirt and red pants (Malon found out the hard way he liked to sleep naked; she still blushed when Dan came down for breakfast), and headed downstairs. He slid down the railing, and landed on his feet, was about to leave the house, when he heard voices from outside. Pressing his ear closer, he heard voices sounding like Malon and Romani, and a few unfamiliar voices from outside. He heard Malon say something unintelligible, then heard a new voice.

"What do you mean, 'No more work needing done'?! We came all this way, and you don't have any work for us?!" This voice was female, Dan thought.

"Calm down, Nabooru, we don't need to cause trouble." Another female. Dan almost was about to come out to try to cool the visitor's head when he heard leather slap skin. Dan felt anger rise. He kicked the door open, and felt himself spring towards the strangers, hands out in a clawing stance. He felt, rather than saw his fingers close on the womans neck, his other hand in a fist, ready to swing.

And he would have swung, too, if Malon hadn't grabbed onto the arm and held it close. Romani grabbed around his neck, in a hug, sobbing into his hair in fear.

"Stop, Dan! They didn't do anything to us!"

Dan still held his grip on the woman's throat, ready to...

"Big Bro, Don't hurt her!" Romani said through her sobs. He felt his anger fade away, and slowly let the woman's throat go, hearing coughing noises. He felt himself get pulled of the woman, and then Malon let his arm go, and she slapped him in the face. Before he could register what had happened, Malon hugged him close, sobbing into his chest.

"You...idiot...neck...not...fault..."

Romani had barely calmed down by then, and, through her sobs, said "Dan, there were just surprised that about our work being finished."

Dan calmed down enough to talk. "What about that smacking noise?"

"You mean this smacking noise?" the other woman smacked the reins against her thigh, making the same noise again. Dan sighed, and started awkwardly patting Malon on the head, trying to calm her down.

"...So that's how it is..." Dan turned his head to the woman, and found a small team of women behind her, their spears at the ready. He noticed the woman wore purple clothing, their tops seeming to be no more than thick sashes, and their legs were covered by purple loose, purple pants, only tight on their waists and ankles. All the women also had the same skin tone: Deeply tanned, as if the sun had constantly hit them.

He looked at the woman he attacked, and said "...I... Misunderstood the situation... and for that... I'm sorry. Your name is... Nabooru, right?"

Nabooru was already standing, and shook her head. "No, I caused it by yelling in such a manner. Anyone would have done what you did..." She waved her hand, and the women behind her lowered their spears. As Nabooru walked over, Malon had already calmed down and gotten off of Dan, and gotten her sister off him as well. When Nabooru had reached Dan, he was still sitting, waiting for whatever was coming.

Nabooru reached out her hand, and said, "Well? You getting up, or what, Warrior Dan?"

Dan smirked, and grabbed her hand, accepting her help in getting up. "Just call me Dan, Nabooru. Who're your friends?"

_**Decided on the Star-Page-Line-Block thing, thought it was better O3O. Many LoZ players and FanFictors (Yes, I'm calling them that, **__**Shut up**__**) should know who Nabooru is. Also, I'm gonna say that Dan is my name, but this is NOT me in the story. I am too much of a **__**wimp**__** pacifist to do this to anyone. Me and that Dan are TWO different people, so none of the "You put yourself in the story!" reviews and all, K? Expect more sooner rather than later. -DarkJester**_


	4. Chapter 3: To Castle Town We Go!

Chapter 3: To Castle Town We Go!

Nabooru had arranged sparring matches among her troop, which Dan learned to call Gerudo, and made it into a tournament of sorts. With the permission of Malon, she offered the prize of six bottles of Lon Lon Milk. Since everyone had enjoyed the milk at least once in their lives, the Gerudo women showed great enthusiasm towards winning the tournament. Even Dan, who could ask for it, asked to join the tournament. Although Malon was against it, Nabooru had just laughed and allowed Dan to participate.

Although Nabooru herself didn't participate, her second in command, Aviel, decided to participate as soon as Dan was in. She doesn't like me for that time, Dan thought. Many Gerudos had just laughed at the prospect of Aveil joining in, but Nabooru just laughed and allowed it.

"You seem to do alot of laughing, Bo-Ru." Dan had said this aloud.

"How DARE you call our leader that, you..." Aveil had started to say.

Nabooru held Aveil's mouth at the time, almost breatheless from laughter. "Relax, Aveil, he meant no harm to me. Little Romani has told me he is fond of giving nicknames to whomever he can."

Aveil just shook Nabooru off, and said "He won't get away with it, I'll show him in this damn sparring tournament that you are making..." Which prompted a swift smack on the rear from a wooden staff from Koquiel, the elder who came with them on Nabooru's horse. She wore the same colors as the Gerudos, on her robes and shawl, and seemed to be of great age. With a voice as strong as, if not stronger than, Nabooru's, she spoke.

"Hush, child. Young women such as yourself don't need to soil their mouths on the language of sailing men. Nabooru has shown great wisdom and reason in not attacking back over a misunderstanding, yet you would undo her work?"

"N-not at all , Elder! I only want to preserve the honor of..."

"Nabooru has already preserved her honor, you only want to..."

"...Pick a fight with me?" Dan interjected, from behind Koquiel. Koquiel swung her staff behind her, not even blinking. She turned to see Dan on the ground, holding his chin.

"Child, do not... What is the phrase... 'Butt in' on our conversation. I am busy reprimanding dear Aveil for..."

"No need, Miss Elder lady!" Romani said with a grin, walking to Dan's side. "I know he doesn't mind someone bad-mouthing him. Ingo does it all the time." She leaned into the Elder's ear, and whispered "It's when someone else is taking it is when he gets mad."

As the tournament went on, Dan had surprisingly shown great fighting skill. At least, great skill at throwing an opponent towards the ground, and holding them there till they gave up. This made his fights more anti-climatic than Aveil's, who made the same progress as him, but used her own spear, which was a lance, to win her fights. Nabooru stood quietly and watched Dan's matches, trying to figure out his sytle.

Then it came to her. As soon as Aveil was finishing her last match before fighting Dan, she laughed loudly, saying "Why didn't come sooner?" and called for what sounded like a claymore to Dan. Two Gerudos went to get the Claymore, and when they returned, Dan could see why both went to get it.

It was a normal looking blade, although the whole sword was almost the height of Malon, and she was only a head shorter than Dan, and he was almost tall enough that he could touch the house's second floor windows with a good jump. The blade itself was a silvery gray, and the black hilt could be held with two hands with some space left over. When Nabooru waved the two women over to Dan, he could guess what was happening.

"Why are you handing me this blade?" He had no idea, as he never held a blade such as that before...

"Because I want you to use it. I see that you can put the sword to better use then anyone here. And if you win," She added with a smile, "You can keep it, free of charge. Now, pick it up, let's see how you do."

Dan, still puzzled, grabbed the hilt, thinking Well, I did lose my memory, I might be a swordsman without even realizing it, and with a smile, picked the sword up.

It did not weigh a thing. At least, to his hands it did not. Curious, he held it with his right hand, and it still felt weightless. He swung it, and it felt as if it was an extension of his arm. As his smile grew, he fell into a stance, feeling as if this was natural. His teeth showing in a grin, he said what he felt were some the most important words ever spoken.

"Ready when you are."

Aveil jabbed at him with her lance, almost too fast for it to be a sparring match. He dodged it easily, and smacked the side of the lance away, and pushed himself off towards her, and swung his fist at her.

She blocked it, using the lance handle as a shield, and kicked at him. He jumped, and kicked himself off her leg, and flipped over her head. When he landed, he swung his leg in a way to trip her, but she had jumped herself, backing off to get the advantage.

Using this chance, he changed his stance where his sword was held in front of him, both hands on hilt, and his right foot behind his left, and was also only sat his toes. His eyes stared ahead, watching Aveil's every move.

As her eyes met his, she felt as if her eyes were working right.

His pupils were slits, and for the first time, she saw his eye color was, if to be described, was a golden red.

She knew she saw it wrong, and so she jabbed towards him, both hands on the lance and jabbing with all she had.

She felt, rather than saw, his blade as it deflected the jab. She felt it slide along the lance, and felt him lean slightly towards the left as he pushed the sword towards her. It was already off her lance as the sword came closer to her neck...

When it stopped. The blade, now just barely touching her neck, moved away, and she felt her breath come to her again. She did not realize that she had stopped breathing, and then she felt herself fall to her knees.

He took the sword and held it behind his back casually, and walked over to Nabooru, and said to her something he hadn't thought he say ever,

"I think you owe a few drinks and a sheath."

It had been a few days after the tournament, when Nabooru, standing in the barn with Aviel, who had cooled down after their match, said "Well, it's about time we all headed for Castle Town."

Dan, sitting down on the barn floor, tilted his head and said "Where is Castle Town, anyway? I'd like to see it once in my life."

"What, you didn't know? Talon is taking you and his daughters over to Castle Town for selling milk over at the milk bar Talon's brother runs."

"Nabooru! We were keeping it as a surprise to Dan!" Malon had just walked in, milk pails in hand, coming up for the daily milking of the cows, Romani behind her. Romani, seeing her chance, ran and sat in Dan's lap, as she always seemed to do.

"Are you surprised, Big Bro?" Dan laughed at that. Romani always seemed to be... clueless, and yet... It seemed so familiar...

"Dan? You all right over there?" Malon's worried voice had sounded over by the cows. How had she gotten over there? Dan thought. As Dan looked around, Nabooru and Aveil had curious looks on their faces, and Romani was trying to look at his eyes, always covered by his unruly, long, and red hair. Dan smirked, and tickled Romani, diverting her attention away.

"Yeah, it's just looking at this face makes me wanna sit and enjoy the cuteness." When Dan looked up from his tickle attack, Malon still had the worried look on her face. "Or maybe you want me to enjoy the view you are giving me?" He pretended to look into Malon's...

When Malon threw a wooden stool at Dan's head, scoring a direct hit. "Romani, get away from him. His idiot touch may infect you." Malon moved her back to Dan, red as her hair, and Romani, giggling, walked over to Malon to help out.

Dan, holding his head, started crying tearlessly, didn't notice Nabooru and Aveil leave, curious looks still on their faces.

Koquiel was sitting inside the house by herself, and said "So, what do you two think of Dan?"

Nabooru said "He cares for the girls almost too much. I know that first hand,". After a pause, she started again "He seems to let his guard down too much around us, since the incident. Luckily, we mean no harm to anyone here. His skills with the sword seem almost... mastered... to be simply a farm hand."

"It's not just that," Aveil interjected, "He seemed to be an entire person when I sparred with him."

"What do you mean, child?"

"His eyes. He hides them from everyone, as if keeping a secret. And yet... When I saw them when we sparred..." She paused. She spoke again, saying "When we sparred, I was sure his eyes were golden red and he slits for pupils... He seemed to a... a beast."

Koquiel sat silently, then laughed aloud for seemingly no reason at all. Both Gerudo women were startled, then the elder said "Is that so...Hm hm hm... This shall be interesting..." She continued to Hm hm hm for a moment, then said "He shall be a legend girls, mark my words. Young Zelda would know what I say with a glance. Let's try and make that happen, girls."


	5. Chapter 4: So It's Your Shadow, Right?

Princess Zelda sat, as she ever did, in the royal library, studying the old legends and texts. She had been spending much of her time here, trying to find out what her dream meant. She didn't find much, but she knew that her dream was an obscure matter at best. Twice she had gotten her hopes up, thinking she found a lead. The first time, she found that it was a lost document, burnt in a fire that, according to Helga, the head maid, "Was mysterious as no one could find what started it, but thank the goddesses that no one was hurt at all. Why, if her father had been in the castle, the fire..." At which point Zelda had waved her away, thanking her the information.

The second time, it actually led to an ancient Shiekahian legend, barely legible and torn in several places. What few words she could read spoke of a mysterious being. She did her best and translated, writing the exact words she translated down, for notes. She spoke aloud, to help with the notet taking.

"Being... skill... blood...blade..." Pausing to make sure she wrote them correctly, she turned back to the old text. "...Sisters...sand...royal...ugh, this is not I was hoping for."

"What, giving it up already, My Princess?" Impa had said, her apprentice, Kinta, behind, silent as always.

"I might as well, Impa. Your people have made things difficult, and the fire five years ago had to have hit this..." She waved her hand at the text. "...sorry excuse of an artfiact.

"Only the west wing was ablaze, and Sheikahian text were in this Royal Library, as your late father and his general had no intrest in these text at that time..." All was silent till Impa had said "I apologize, Princess. I should not say things in such a way."

"I do not mind it, Impa. It was a terrible thing to happen, but no one has to carry their words carefully around me, as I have grieved already. I am not done grieving, she thought, I will always miss the man who raised me and ruled Hyrule with a stern yet gentle hand.

"I still apologize, as I have a note from Koquiel, asking for an audience, saying that she has found a legend."

"A legend? From Koquiel? Send her my acceptance" Oh, how I wish I was the one who found something worthwhile.

"Also, another note from Link and his big sister..."

"Kate?! Hand me the paper this instant." Dear Kate, you would know what to do to help me, wouldn't you?

When she got the parchment, she read it almost lovingly.

Dear Princess Zelda,

I write this with great news. Both the Gorons and the Zoras have agreed to meet with you! Ruto has always wanted to see you since she heard of the fire years ago to expressher sorrows for your loss, and renew her friendship with us. She plans to have five and twenty of her best warriors come with her, despite my objections to have so many just to show the power of the Zoras, but we all know how headstrong she can be.

Darunia, on the other hand, although willing, has shown no real enthusiasm at the idea of talking. Women have never truly been friends with Darunia, it has been my father who he got along with and allied himself with him. He keeps the said alliance out of respect of the dearly departed (Zelda felt the sarcasm in that; Kate never got along enough with her own father to be sad when he died.), but I feel that his patience is wearing thin.

Our friends the Kokori have still refused to meet us in the castle, but have still shown friendship by showing new rangers the way of Lost Woods, so they still have my trust. And you know my trust is never misplaced in these situations. Saria has always said that she would listen and act on advice as long as it never harmed the Kokori, and she determined that this could harm them. She still believes that leaving the forest could kill the little people.

The Gerudo have shown great interest in joining the alliance, as they hate the Evil One as much as anyone, even more so in other cases. To show good faith, Nabooru has one of their elder, Koquiel, traveling with them, so that she may answer any questions for any Gerudo legend, myth, or ancient text. I believe this is a gift, as all know of your love of such things. They are too enthusastic, as they are heading for the castle as I write.

The others will wait for you to send word as to when you wish for time of arrival. I suggest the more the better, as then they may see more problems their people may have and use that as excuse to ask for help. As always, I shall support you to my upmost, as you are my dearest friend.

Kate.

P.S. Although it has not truly bothered me, I remember a dream i had once. The only thing I remember is a lone woman, smiling, through tears streaming down her face. Her sadness was not overwhelming, and yet... I remember waking up happier than I have felt in a long while. As this has truly baffled me, I have tried...and yet, I remember nothing else, so I do not expect it to be important, but all the same, I rather ask of your opinion first.

Zelda found herself smiling throughout the letter, as Kate must have little Link write this, as Kate wasn't a person who would write words such as these. Yet when she had reached the bottom, Zelda almost lost her calm face, as this was truly baffling.

How did Kate have the same dream as she?

Nabooru entered the barn, where Dan and Koquiel sat, Koquiel telling him of many legends of the Gerudos, which mostly spoke of the Goddess of Power, Din, and how became the Goddess of Sand to the Gerudos, and how the only man of the Gerudo would be king.

"We await his arrival anyday now, whether he is born now within Gerudo walls, or already born in hidden places where our sisters wished to live with their children and raise them with skills they had passed down theirselves. I have the strongest feeling that it is the latter, as I was there when the old king died, and he died a year within the hundred year gap, so we know he shall return to us soon."

"Why do you only have one man every hundred years, Koquiel?" Dan asked.

"Why indeed? No one knows, some say it is punishment, as all Gerudos are proud and strong, and the men, even more so. If our men were all together, even the Goddesses would feel it was too dangerous. I believe that Din wanted us to know of other races and depend on them, so that we may prosper, and our lack of men is proof of her caring for us." Koquiel chuckled, and added "But if that was the case, then the Goddess of Sand may not be as aptly named as we believe her to be."

Nabooru choose that moment to say "Elder, Impa is here to see you."

"Impa? Hmph, that Shiekah is here, it means she thinks we are planning something." Koquiel got up, with the help of Dan, and walked outside. Dan followed behind Nabooru, and when he was outside, he saw a young woman, armed with a short blade on her back, and wearing blue robes. He felt something when he saw this woman, but he could not tell what.

Malon was talking to Impa, her back to Dan, so she did not notice when Dan walked behind her, and when he was close enough, he flopped onto Malon's back and said "Give attention to me too, Malon. I'm sooooooooo bored..."

"Get off me, Dan. I'm busy talking business to my customer. Go play with Romani." Malon swiped Dan's arm off her shoulder, but he flopped it back on.

"Don't wanna. Play with me." He felt like teasing her a little bit.

"Dan..." She warned, Impa impassively watching the two.

"Alright..." Dan got off, sounding sad. He playfully dragged his feet, and walked towards the house, and then said "Then I'm gonna read your diary." Dan chose this time to start running towards the house, as Malon started to look for something to throw, and there was only a pitchfork leaning against the the fence used to keep the horses from wondering.

Seeing Dan escape into the house, Nabooru laughed, but shortly stopped, as Koquiel stared intensly at Impa. Malon had her back to Impa, her face red from anger.

"What do you want, Impa?" Nabooru asked tensely. Impa turned her face from the house, looking right at the pair of Gerudo women.

"I came to tell you the Princess said that you are allowed to enter the castle grounds, and that she is looking forward to speaking with you, Elder Koquiel, Descendant of..."

"Nabooru, there's a group of Shiekah waiting at the gate, is there something..." Aveil said as she ran to the group, only seeing Impa at the last second.

"Is there another reason, Impa?" Nabooru said, stepping to Koquiel's side.

"I'm here to investigate a strange occurance, a violent storm, which was said to have an... interesting... affecting range."

"What do you mean?" Koquiel said calmly.

"The storm only raged in the Lon Lon Ranch area, which started and ended almost instantanously within the hour of midnight. An unknown power was sensed by Princess Zelda herself. Although asleep, one of the Sheikah have heard the words 'O Goddess, who are you sending onto us as...' which has the Shiekah in a terrible fix."

"What do you mean?" Koquiel said again.

"I cannot defend my Princess against something I know nothing about." With that, she grabbed Malon, who was listening, and held a knife against her throat. Before Malon could speak, Impa covered her mouth, and said, "Now, bring Talon to me, and tell him to tell me everything he..."

It was all she got out before she saw a red figure break a window and jump out. As it landed, it charged towards Impa with incredible speed. She calmly whistled, and four Shiekah surrounded the figure, and they attacked it.

Only to be blocked by a large blade, then they had to defend against the same blade as it was swung at them. Only one of the Shiekah was able to flip out of the way as the blade slashed the other three viciously, wounding them enough to make them flee.

"Captain Impa, he's too strong for us!" the fleeing one said

The figure became a blur as it charged towards Impa again. Impa threw a strange nut towards the ground, and jumped onto the house, and passed the fainted Malon to the remaining Shiekah, and jumped back down. Throwing of her robe, she drew her blade, dropped to a Shiekah stance, meant for easy manuvering, and was about to throw a knife with her left.

When her enemy's sword ripped through her. Or so he thought, as it was just her afterimage. He flipped over the sword, causing Impa to slash the air. He slashed at her, the blade barely missing her face as he backed off. At that time, Impa allowed herself a grin as she said "I knew it."

Dan stood, blade at the ready. He was soon back to back with Nabooru, who joined in. "I thought those guys were still in. I didn't feel a thing when I slashed at them." Just as he said that, the three Shiekah were walking towards the pair. Dan then asked "How did they dodge that fast, and yet, still seem to get hit?"

"It's a Shiekah skill, which they use to trick and kill any enemy. They call it 'Unflinching Shadow'."

"So it's your shadow, right?" Dan directed at Impa. Impa only answered with a smirk.

Dan then kicked Nabooru out of the way as the Shiekahs' blades came into his back.

**_Well, what a cliff hanger that is, Right? Nothing much else to say on my end. ~DarkJester_**


End file.
